Numerous types of snowplows are known for mounting on the front and back of vehicles, such as pickup trucks. Most front plows cannot be used on small and lightweight trucks, since they do not meet governmental crash worthiness requirements. Front plows require mounting brackets attached to the vehicle. Rear-mounted plows typically are bolted to the frame of the truck, which is a time consuming process, and which limits the height that the plow can be raised. Other prior art plows are mounted on the receiver of a hitch on the rear of the truck, but are not pivotal so as to direct the snow laterally.
Accordingly, a primary objective of the present invention is the provision of a rear-mounted snowplow that is laterally pivotal.
A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a snowplow that can be quickly and easily mounted to the rear of any vehicle having a hitch.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of a rear-mounted snowplow that can be raised substantially above the ground.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of a rear-mounted snowplow having trip springs so that the plow blade will tilt to pass over obstructions encountered during plowing.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of a rear-mounted snowplow that is economical to manufacture and durable and safe in use.
Another objective is the use of a T-mount for mounting the hydraulic power unit so the complete plow with hydraulics is removed when the plow is unhooked from the vehicle at the receiver hitch.
These and other objectives become apparent from the following description of the invention.
The pivotal snowplow of the present invention is adapted to be mounted in a center hitch on the rear of a vehicle, such as a pickup truck. The snowplow includes a frame, with a forwardly extending tongue for receipt in the hitch. A pin locks the tongue to the hitch.
The snowplow frame includes a cross bar connected to the tongue, a pair of substantially horizontal arms extending rearwardly from the cross bar, and a pair of vertical legs extending downwardly from the arms for attachment to the blade. The legs are pivotally connected to the arms about a vertical axis, such that the blade can be angled relative to the direction of travel. The vertical legs extend behind a snowplow blade for pivotal attachment to the rearward surface thereof. The plow includes trip springs to allow the blade to tilt and pass over obstacles encountered during plowing. A hydraulic cylinder moves the blade between raised and lowered positions. A pair of hydraulic cylinders pivot the blade to a desired angular orientation. The plow has two down pressure springs that attach to the upper pivot arms and the crossbar to provide down pressure to the blade, thereby producing a cleaner scrape or removal of snow.